Few visitors to Romania come to Snagov Monastery. Fewer still have ever heard of it, in spite of its connection to the life (actually the death) of Count Dracula, the country’s most famous native. Technically, as a fictional character – and a vampire, Dracula didn’t live OR die. But his real-life counterpart, Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler), did end up at Snagov, maybe. Vlad the Impaler followed a ... Read Full Article
Visiting Romania’s Maramureș County
Many Romanians vacation in Maramureș, a county in Romania north of Transylviania and south of the Ukrainian border, for the same reasons foreigners do. They are curious to see life as it existed centuries ago. Maramureș is like Pennsylvania Dutch country in the US: horse-drawn carriages, hand-embroidered clothing, rural crafts, and lifestyles based on agriculture. The crafts are best ... Read Full Article
Zemun: Belgrade’s Most Charming Neighborhood
Belgrade, with its relaxed attitude, friendly residents and incredible food and drink, can also be sadly short on charm. Outside the historic center, districts tend to run together, and in New Belgrade, indistinguishable rows of apartment buildings seem to stretch for miles. But the city has at least one neighborhood that can be considered distinctive and yes, even charming: Zemun. Longtime ... Read Full Article
Poenari Castle and the Myth of Dracula
To visit the real Dracula’s real castle in Romania, you have to know which castle to visit. Shall it be Bran Castle of Transylvania, beloved by tourists and the country’s tourism board, or Poenari Castle of Wallachia, the historically valid but little-known alternative? Those who have read Bram Stoker’s novel about the world’s most famous vampire are often curious about what inspired the Irish ... Read Full Article
A Very Merry Romanian Cemetery
Death is no laughing matter in most parts of the world. But things are different in Săpânța, Romania, a small village in the northern part of the country close to the Ukrainian border. For the last 80 years, the Merry Romanian Cemetery has opted to make death a source of amusement, even joy, and a snapshot of local life. Visiting a Romanian Cemetery When I visited Săpânța last summer, the ... Read Full Article
An Historic Stroll through Dracula’s Home: Sighisoara, Romania
Sighisoara, in Romania's Transylvania region, is a picturesque city with winding streets and spiky towers, centered around a medieval fortified city center on top of a hill. It is well set-up for tourism, with comfortable hotels and dining places that are reasonably priced and strategically located for sightseeing. But it gets full of tourists in the hot months, so come slightly off-season ... Read Full Article
Tirana, Albania: From Despair to Hope
Tirana, Albania From Despair to Hope An energetic and progressive Tirana is what we see. Fine places to dine, vibrant shops, parks for strolling, traffic chaos, buildings undergoing facelifts, new structures taking form under a flourish of cranes. Locals tell us Tirana has changed beyond belief from its once austere and dull grey of past decades. The country’s sobering history is evidenced ... Read Full Article
When in Kosovo Enjoy Pristina and Nearby Prizren
The atmosphere is effervescent! Families are out enjoying a sunny Sunday. Small cafes are filled to capacity. The scent of roasting chestnuts wafts from charcoal burners on every corner. A visit to Kosovo shows that tourism is on its way up, and rightfully so! And, When in Kosovo Enjoy Pristina and Nearby Prizren. We absorb the scope of light-hearted activity as we walk along Mother Teresa ... Read Full Article
Sighisoara, Romania: a Tour of the Towers
Sighisoara, in Romania's Transylvania region, has beautifully preserved medieval city walls, incorporating nine fascinating towers. Let's visit the towers in clockwise order, starting with the most famous. The clock tower is the citadel's main tower, and is intentionally located at what was considered a sacred compass point, the east. It's easy to see from a glance that its robust, chunky ... Read Full Article
Top 10 Reasons to Visit Russia
Winston Churchill called Russia a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” which is perhaps even more true today; just read the news. Russia is on the far eastern edge of Europe and tourism there can be expensive and frustrating. Nevertheless, the only possible way to understand one of the world’s great countries is to stand on her soil. I worked at the Anglo-American School of Moscow ... Read Full Article